


Reckless

by graysonsflight



Series: Lost and Found [1]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DC Animated Universe, Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 22:47:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13797960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graysonsflight/pseuds/graysonsflight
Summary: There’s so much that can go right at a Wayne Manor gala. There’s also so much that can go wrong. A romantic evening for Dick and Barbara is thrown awry, and it’s Jason who has to come in to save the day. But what’s the point of having fun if you’re not going to be a little… reckless.





	Reckless

**Author's Note:**

> So as of now, this will be the start to the Lost and Found verse that millenniumrobin and I have going on. You don't need to have read anything else to enjoy this work - but if you like it - you might want to check out the rest of it. The series is still a work in progress. Things get a little hot and steamy here, so... be prepared.

            Barbara tried not to fidget with her dress. Her father had already had a few words for it, with its blue lace not doing nearly enough in his mind, to cover up her cleavage, and the hem falling just above her finger tips. It had taken her weeks to find it, but it was perfect, the right shade of blue and everything.

            “It’s not too late,” he whispered into her ear, mistaking her nerves. “We can still turn around and go home.”

            “No, Daddy,” she laughed. “Mister Wayne expects you to be here tonight; you promised.” she patted his arm lightly as they waited in line to be greeted by Alfred, and then ushered past the foyer and into the Wayne Manor proper. Barbara much preferred the side entrance by the garage – the family’s usual entrance, and even better, the _underground_ entrance, but formal events called for formal front door greetings.

            “Commissioner,” Alfred greeted warmly. He broke his formal protocol and gave her a smile, “Miss Barbara, Master Dick has already been looking for you.” Barbara beamed at the old Englishman.

            “Thanks, Alfred, I’ll go find him.” She leaned over, planting a kiss against her father’s cheek. “Bye, Daddy, play nice with the socialites.”

            She hadn’t made it three yards before a strong hand with thin fingers wrapped around her wrist to pull her from her path.

            “You look stunning,” his voice whispered, lips ghosting over her ear.

            “I thought you’d like this one,” Barbara whispered back, her lips tight in a satisfied smirk. Dick chuckled, pushing her body into a half twirl so she’d be facing him. His eyes danced over her.

            “I mean it,” he told her earnestly. He tucked her hand into the bend of his elbow and began walking her out into the room.

            “I know, so did I. I may have picked it out for you,” she told him casually, her eyes scanning the crowed for all the familiar faces. There were the politicians, heiresses, and all the blue-blooded money Gotham had to offer. Barbara didn’t miss the way some of the girls looked at Dick: predatory. Or the way they looked at her: unimpressed. She could have sworn she heard someone whisper _store bought_ , but Dick was talking to her again, laughing about something.

            “You’re not listening to me at all, are you?” he laughed.

            “Sorry,” Barbara said, turning her eyes to him. “Paying attention to the harpies.”

            “Don’t do that,” Dick told her. “This is the first they’ve left me alone all night.” Barbara rolled her eyes, her fingers patting his arm.

            “Oh, you poor thing, all these beautiful women won’t leave you alone.”

            “What about you, Babs? You’re not going to leave, are you?” Barbara could only laugh nervously as she tried not to let him catch her eyes.

            “You two are gross,” another voice broke in, its owner coming towards them, hands tugging at his tie uncomfortably. Jason stopped in front of them, shaking his head. “Seriously, I’m gagging just looking at you.”

            Barbara pulled away from Dick to wrap Jason in a hug. “Well don’t you look precious,” she teased. “They wrangled you into a suit and everything.” Jason pushed her off.

            “You clean up okay too, Babs,” he said, trying not to eye her up too much. “You know, you could always be my date, instead of Dicks’.” He offered, smirking. Barbara laughed.

            “Your brother and I aren’t dating,” she amended, pretending she didn’t notice the slight sigh from Dick at her pronouncement.

            “So you’re saying there’s a chance?” Jason fired back, clearly loving how uncomfortable it was making Dick.

            “No,” the older boy offered, his hand dipping down to the small of Barbara’s back to continue her movement through the crowd. Over her shoulder, she could see Jason pull his hand to his head like an old-fashioned phone, his lips over exaggerating the words _call me._

            Dick continued their momentum all the way onto the dance floor.

            “What are we doing?” she asked as his hands moved her into position, his right staying a little bit lower than what was considered the more traditional position. Barbara could feel the edge of his palm slide ever so slightly against the top curve of her butt before moving back up.

            “Dancing,” Dick offered, completely unhelpful.

            “Sure,” Barbara laughed, letting him lead her through the steps. They stayed like that for three song changes, making small talk with each other, and Barbara trying to not fall into his eyes too hard, after all, like she’d told Jason, they _weren’t_ dating, and more than one pair of eyes was watching them. She could feel it on her back, right in between her shoulder blades.

            Dick’s eyebrows quirked up in surprise before it happened, his face showing confusion as Barbara felt the cool, sticky liquid hit her back and drip down the lace of her dress.

            “Oopps!” Came a high-pitched chirp, followed by a barely contained giggle. “Clumsy me, I am so sorry.” The woman pulled Barbara to her, her nails scraping her arm. “It’s a good thing you didn’t spend too much on that one.”

            Barbara felt her face flush. What she wanted was to turn around and knock the _princess_ behind her flat on her ass, what she did was meet Dick’s eyes.

            “ _Go ahead_ ,” he mouthed. He was telling her she could leave, but she was pretty sure he wouldn’t have been mad at all if she’d given into her other impulses.

            “Excuse me,” she said as evenly as she could. As she walked away, Barbara could hear the iron in Dick’s voice as he rejected the blonde socialite’s advances.

            She moved towards the back of the main open rooms, making her way towards the familiar side staircase. The wooden steps knew her weight as she moved up towards open hallway. On one side, a wooden railing guarded her, allowed her to look down on the beautifully dressed people below. She found Bruce easily; he was always surrounded by admirers. Her father too, stood out; he looked uncomfortable in his tuxedo, nodding along with the senator who stood beside him. She moved back, letting the shadows take her, her fingers trailing over a small table. This was their spot. Barbara knew she could have gone to the bathroom, could have found a towel and could have patted her back dry, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Instead, she leaned down, folding her body up under the table. She and Dick had been hiding under this table at these stupid formal functions for years. Barbara had hoped they wouldn’t have needed to end up hear this time, and yet here she was. She wouldn’t cry. That girl wasn’t worth her time, let alone her tears.

            “Hey,” Dick’s voice made her eyes open. He had tucked himself in next to her; their closeness only pushing home the fact that they were getting too big to hide under tables. The satin stripe down his pants rubbed pleasantly against the bare skin of her thigh.

            “Hey, yourself” she greeted, letting her head fall to his shoulder.

            “I really do like that dress on you,” he told her, leaning down to press a kiss to her temple. Barbara could feel her stomach clench. It would be so easy to give in to him. Too easy. She didn’t give herself enough time to think about it, Barbara leaned over to boop his nose with her finger.

            “Yeah, yeah. I am pretty cute,” she acknowledged, allowing a smile to tug at her lips, but Dick shook his head.

            “No, Babs, you’re gorgeous.” He leaned down, his lips pressing against hers, soft and warm.

            Kissing Dick Grayson was always _a thing_. His mouth was persistent, his hands never still, instead tickling lines over her arms or neck; tonight, she could feel the pad of his thumb tracing the inside of her thigh.

            This was far from their first kiss. In fact, this wasn’t even their first kiss hiding under this table. Despite Barbra’s refusal to date him, the two of them had done their fair share of exploring one another. She leaned closer, her hand finding his tie, and pulling him towards her. The movement caused the sound of clinking glass, and Barbra pulled away. On the floor between them was a small bottle of amber liquid and a glass with two large cubes of ice.

            “Dick,” she whispered. “We are not supposed to be drinking at these!” She was suddenly nervous, a laugh pulling itself from her mouth.

            “I know, I know,” he answered, but he still pressed the cold glass into her hand. She took it, and then watched as he poured a healthy dose into it. He closed the bottle and placed it behind them, flush against the wall. “But we’re only going to have this one, and we’re going to share it.” The mischief glowed in his blue eyes, making Barbra’s heart race.

            Without thinking, she brought the glass to her lips. Her eyes closed as the whiskey hit her tongue. She let it sit for a moment before swallowing, letting the taste of it seep into her. It burned on the way down, lighting up a fire inside of her. Just a taste, and she was feeling reckless.

            “Well,” Dick asked, his smile warming up her insides as much as the alcohol. “How is it?” She pushed the glass to the far side of the alcove, and grabbed his lapel.

            “See for yourself.” Barbara pulled him in for another kiss, her mouth open and hot against his. In that instant, she didn’t feel like herself, controlled and measured, she felt like something different, something more.

            Dick was quick to pick up her game, kissing her back with less restraint than before, his tongue pressing against hers, and his hands moving free again, a little tighter than before. He kissed her until she couldn’t taste the alcohol in her mouth anymore, and then pulled back, his eyes dark.

            “Again?” he asked her, breathless. Barbra giggled, more drunk on his kiss than she had ever been on alcohol, but she grab for the glass again, letting the liquor bite into her, and pull her back into his arms.

            The space was cramped, but they made it work. After three or four more mouths full, the glass was empty, and Barbara could feel the hum of warmth settling into her. She tucked her face into his neck, her lips pressed against his racing pulse.

            “ _I love you_ ,” she felt more than heard him whisper into the crown of her head. The words struck hard against her buzz. Love was dangerous. Love caused too many problems that she did not want to deal with right now, no matter what the little voice in the back her head whispered.

            “I know you think you do,” she answered, pressing even tighter to him, her fingers twining with his. It was the best answer she could give. He tried to shift them, tried to make it so that she would have to look at him, but Barbra refused.

            “Babs, I do mean it,” he said it like an oath, as though the sheer conviction of his belief could make it true. But Barbra didn’t want to deal with the complicated right now. She wanted the simple, she wanted the way she knew he could make her body feel.

            “Shhh, Dick” she whispered, pressing kisses into him, her teeth scraping against that beating pulse. “Not now, don’t ruin it.” She wasn’t sure which it she was referring to, but he didn’t fight her as she kept trailing kisses down the column of his throat, her fingers reaching up to loosen his tie and undo the first three buttons, exposing more of him to her mouth.

            “Babs,” he breathed, his voice low and rough. “We should…” He trailed off as she shifted, moving her weight so that she was on her knees, leaning over him.

            “Should what?” she asked innocently, moving down to kiss him harder, her hand tugging into his hair.

            “Mmmm…”

            “What was that?” she asked, breaking the kiss.

            “Move,” he repeated, his pupils dilated, the blue only a thin rim. Barbara pulled back, knocking her head against the tables in her haste.

            “I’m sorry,” she stammered, trying to untangle their bodies. She was almost fully off of him when he pulled her back, his lips searing into her neck.

            “Not what I meant,” he told her, lacing their fingers again. “I mean we should probably move someplace else.” Barbara met his eyes with a smirk.

            “You’re room?” Dick nodded, kissing her once more before leading her from beneath the table. They left the glass and bottle behind, Barbara trying to stifle a laugh as she had to work twice as hard to keep up in her heels. “Grayson slow down!” she whispered.

            “Not a chance,” Dick responded, opening the door. They didn’t bother with the lights as he pulled her inside and pushed the door closed with his foot.

            “We shouldn’t be doing this,” Barbra breathed, her voice still a whisper as he pulled her towards the bed. He paused, taking her face in his hands.

            “Tell me to stop,” he said, earnestly. “We can go back downstairs.” Barbara hesitated for only a second before pulling him back into her, the backs of her knees colliding with the edge of his bed. Dick took control, taking hold of her waist and lifting her onto the bed, pressing himself against her, one of his legs slipping in between hers. As he trailed his mouth down her neck and collarbone, Barbra made quick work of his shirt, her fingers tracing over his skin.

            Dick watched her as he ran his hands down the inside of her legs, he smiled when her breath caught.

            “Problem?” he asked, slowly inching higher. In response, Barbra bent a knee, brining her leg up to press against the bulge in the front of his pants.

            “No more than the one you’re having,” she whispered. Dick laughed, grinding down against her, the fingers of his left hand trailing up to her hip.

            “I really do like this dress,” he said, his mouth back against her neck, teeth teasing her as she had done to him earlier. Barbara threaded her fingers through his hair.

            “Good, I bought it for you.”

            Dick moaned against her, moving his fingers towards her center. Slowly, carefully, he moved them against the small damp patch of her lace panties.

            “ _Please_ ,” Barbra whined, hating for a second how desperate she sounded.

            “Please, what?” he teased, already starting to push the lace out of his way.

            They were good at this, being quite and quick, being able to move around clothes. Barbra bit her lip to keep back a moan as he pushed his fingers inside of her. When biting her lip wasn’t enough, she brought her hand up to mouth, smothering the sounds he was pushing out of her.

            “God, you are so beautiful,” he breathed into her hair, making her hips tilt up and off the bed.

            “More please,” she whimpered, no longer caring how she sounded.

            “As you wish,” he laughed against her neck, sliding his body down, and her dress up higher. With his stupid graceful movements, he had her underwear off, and his fingers back inside of her before she had time to complain. Barbara closed her eyes as she felt his mouth against her, bringing her closer. She bit down on her hand hard to keep from making a sound, her other hand tangled helplessly in the sheets.

            She couldn’t help the way her body twitched and moved, and she loved the way he brought his other arm across her hips, keeping her grounded, keeping her where he wanted her. Barbara let her hand slip from her mouth and back into his hair, his name falling from her lips as he pushed her over the edge. He slowed, letting her come back to him, his lips pressing delicately into her thighs.

            “Hi,” he whispered up at her when she had finally gotten her breathing back under control.

            “Tell me you have condoms,” Barbra asked, sitting up and pushing her own hair out of her face. Dick rolled his eyes, shifting his body over top of hers to reach towards the second drawer in his nightstand. His fingers had just wrapped around the box when a knock at the door left them both frozen. Barbra’s stomach bottomed out. A second knock sent them both into motion.

            “I’ll get it,” Dick whispered, handing her back her panties as he reached for his shirt. He only paused for a second to kiss her on the forehead. She watched him fumble with the buttons and shove the bottom back into his pants as he walked towards the door. Immediately, she shifted herself into the shadows of the room, raking her hands through her hair and pulling it back into a ponytail. Dick threw her a nod before cracking opening the door, the smallest sliver of light creeping through.

            “What do you want?” he hissed, his voice low and menacing. The sound of laughter reached Barbara’s ears. _Ah_. Jason.

            “You’re a fucking idiot,” the younger boy chided. “Do you know what time it is?” Dick shifted himself even further in front of the door, clearly unimpressed.

            “What do you want, Jay?” he repeated. But it was clear from the laughter in his voice Jason was anything but intimidated.

            “Commish is looking for Barbie, you moron.” Barbra’s blood turned to ice. She glanced around the room for Dick’s clock and swore. She had left her dad alone for more than an hour. Jason must have heard her because this sent off another wave of laughter.

            “You two really did it this time,” he said, probably pleased that for once he wasn’t the one that was going to be drawing Bruce’s irritation, because surely he had noticed their long absence as well. Dick let loose a stream of curses, his hands going through his already scandalously dishelmed hair. He glanced back at Barbra with a pained expression, but she could already see the gears in his head starting to turn. He looked back to Jason.

            “Jason, I need you to buy me…like, fifteen minutes, can you do that?” Barbra didn’t even want to imagine what this kind of favor was going to cost them.

            “Fifteen minutes?” Jason questioned. As Barbra started to move she could see him and the shit-eating grin covering his face. “Really Dick? Don’t sell yourself short.”

            “I’m serious,” Dick insisted, already trying to shut the door. “Fifteen minutes and Babs and I will go down the back stairs. We’ll be in the kitchen.” Barbra could see Jason put out an arm to stop the door from closing. He stared his older brother down with intensity she could hear more than see.

            “You. Owe. Me.” Dick nodded, reach his own hand out to push Jason back out into the hallway.

            “Huge,” he promised. “Now go.” He turned his back and pushed the door shut with a click, but not before Jason could catch Barbra’s eye and wink.

**-*-**

            Jason smirked at the door that had just been slammed in his face. Dick had been an absolute wreck. The older boy’s hair had very obviously had fingers raked through it, his shirt buttons had been off – the fourth one down missed entirely. But the pièce de résistance had been the lipstick kisses smeared onto his throat.

            Jason had thought about mentioning them, but Dick hadn’t really given him enough time, now had he? Shoving his hands into his pockets, Jason whistled as he made his way back to the stairs. Ideas flitted easily in and out of his mind. He had fifteen minutes – and there was a lot of damage he could do with that kind of time. His smile widened from the bottom step as his eyes lit upon Sophie von Kessel. He had seen what the blonde witch had done to Babs. He had watched her pouting about the lack of attention she had been getting, then watched as she carefully picked up a champagne flute and stalked her way across the dance floor to where Dick and Babs had been dancing, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

            Barbara may have been the type to let things like that go. She preferred go high when the society girls around her kept trying to bring her low. Jason, on the other hand, much preferred _petty._

            He altered his walk to bring him to the drinks table, where glass upon glass of champagne waited in neat little rows. Nobody noticed him. It was a perk of being a street kid; you knew how to be invisible. He chose his first glass carefully, tipping it back and downing the bubbly liquid. It was dry, probably stupid expensive, but that didn’t mean Jason thought it tasted any good. He made an effort to stop his nose from wrinkling. Without a second though, he set the glass down and picked up a second, knocking it back just as easily as the first.

            When his fingers reached for his third glass, he could feel the eyes upon him. It was only one pair, but they were a particularly influential pair. From across the room, Jason could sense Bruce’s irritation and disapproval. It was a look he was pretty familiar with after all. Jason turned towards him; fortunately, the big guy was trapped, still surrounded by a mob of sycophants, fawning over how amazing he was.

            Jason knew he was already in deep, so he leaned into the trouble. He smiled, lifted the glass like he was Jay _Fucking_ Gatsby, then took a small sip. He broke the eye contact and started to maneuver his way over to Sophie von Kessel.

            He eyed her up and down, noticing the way the dress barely covered her cleavage, and that the “v” cut of the hem exposed enough of her thighs to leave little to Jason’s very active imagination.

            “H-hey there, gorgeous,” he purred. At almost six feet tall, Jason could look the high heeled socialite dead in the eyes. He loved the way she checked him out, _considering_ , trying to quickly establish whether or not to play his game. He pushed further.

            “I saw you checking out my brother,” he told her, flashing a winning smile. “Don’t know where he’s got to, but I gotta say, you’re not missing out on much.”

            Sophie laughed at that. “I don’t know what you’re implying,” she said coly, batting her lashes at him. Jason briefly wondered if she knew he was only fifteen, and whether or not she cared.

            “I am implying,” he hummed, trying to make it sound like he’d been drinking all night, “that of the two of us,” he leaned closer, his mouth by her diamond clad ear. “I’m more fun.”

            Jason noticed two things at once: first, he noticed the way Sophie’s breath caught in her throat. Second, he could hear the way the crowd began to shift, and knew that only one man had _that_ kind of power. Bruce had broken free of his admirers, and was closing in on him fast. If Jason was going to do something, he’d have to do it quickly.

            “Sophie!” He heard Bruce call, maybe six feet away. The blonde’s eyes lit up, moving from Jason to Bruce. Jason couldn’t stop himself from looking down, the woman’s ample cleavage stood out like a beacon in her form fitting dress. As Bruce pushed in behind him, large hand weighing down his shoulder, Jason pretended to stumble forward. The champagne from his glass sloshed down the front of Sophie’s red dress.

            “Ooopps,” he said, his eyes meeting hers. “Clumsy me.” Her ear splitting shriek filled his senses. Within less than a second, everyone in the room was eyeing their tableau.

            Sophie stood, her heaving chest covered in sticky champagne, eyes wide and brimming with tears. It was all Jason could do to hold his look of shock and feigned confusion. The girl might be able to dish it out, but she certainly could not take it.

            Bruce’s fingers dug into his shoulder painfully. There was a solid possibility that there were going to be bruises.

            “Kitchen. Now,” Bruce growled, his voice dangerously close to his “nighttime voice.” But Jason was sure that in all the commotion, he was the only one who could hear it.

            “Worth it,” he murmured, turning his back and strolling towards the kitchen; his hands shoved into his pockets since Bruce had liberated the now empty champagne flute.

            “Sophie, I am so sorry,” he heard Bruce croon. “I just don’t know what could have gotten into him!”

            Jason pushed his way into the kitchen, enjoying the silence the followed the closing of the door. He snorted at the scene.

            Dick and Babs were before him, Dick leaning against the counter while Babs sat on the edge. There was an ice cream sundae with two spoons in between them. Dick’s hair had been moved back into place, but his shirt was still a bit of a mess. Jason saw with satisfaction, that the lipstick on his neck hadn’t been touched.

            “Hey there, you little troublemakers,” he greeted warmly. He noted that next to Dick, Babs looked polished and put together, but even she had clearly cleaned off her makeup and had redone her hair into a simple ponytail.

            “Jason, what was that screaming out there?” Barbara questioned, a spoon halfway to her mouth.

            “You’re welcome, Barbie” he responded with a wink. He knew he wasn’t supposed to hit on Babs, but that didn’t always stop him, and she had just been upstairs with Dick, doing things Jason was sure he would have enjoyed. “Just getting you a little bit of vengeance. Dickie gave me fifteen minutes, after all.” The older two shared a quick look, and Jason found he just couldn’t help himself. The alcohol was finally catching up to him. “For the record, it would have taken me longer.”

            “Jason!” Barbara half shrieked, half laughed. Jason couldn’t help but notice how cute she looked when she blushed. Dick only glared, but Jason was saved his brother’s response, because Bruce chose that minute to come flying through the door. Alfred, and his supreme look of disapproval hot on his heels. Both men stared each of them down.

            “Your father is looking for you,” he said to Barbra, his voice low and even. The redhead nodded a quick “yes, sir,” before bolting from the kitchen. As soon as the door swung again, Bruce let out an extremely heavy sigh, his eyes looking skyward.

            “I want you both in my office, now. You should be able to keep out of trouble there. I will meet you in less than thirty minutes after I finish running damage control. I expect the pair of you to remain completely silent.”

            Dick cringed, but nodded. Jason, however just shrugged, both of them heading for the back staircase. As they walked down the hall towards the book lined room, Jason considered letting Dick know about the lipstick, but Alfred was behind them. And besides, not telling him seemed like more fun.

**-*-**

            It had taken about _forty-five_ minutes to run the necessary damage control. Jason knew, because they had been standing in the office facing the clock. In that time, the alcohol in his system had peeked and faded out. He was starting to get restless. But if he was fidgeting, Dick was positively humming with energy. The only other person Jason had ever seen move as much as Dick did had the word _Flash_ in their name. Jason had wanted to goad him with completely inappropriate questions about exactly what he had interrupted, but with Alfred standing behind them he hadn’t dared. It wasn’t the first time Jason had caught Dick and Babs doing things, but this was certainly the most entertaining time. The sound of the door opening had Dick looking panicked, and Jason trying his best to stifle a laugh.

            Bruce swept into the room, his displeasure rolling off of him in waves. He moved to stand in front of his desk, his blue eyes sweeping over the both of them. The exact level of just how unimpressed he was, was written a crossed his face. He slowly, deliberately, undid the buttons at his cuffs before undoing his bow tie. It was as if this act of methodic mindlessness could hold back his anger.

            “I cannot believe how reckless you both were tonight.” He growled it, his voice slipping dangerously close to Caped Crusader territory. Both Dick and Jason stood in front of him, despite their earlier fidgeting, they were both now stone still. Dick’s shirt was slightly rumpled, and even throwing the jacket back on couldn’t hide the fact the some of the buttons were in the wrong holes. He, at least, had the good sense to look ashamed. Jason, on the other hand, looked nothing but smug.

            “Jason,” Bruce said, truing the full force of his glare onto the younger boy. “You are fifteen years old. You know perfectly well that you are not to be drinking.”

            Jason couldn’t help the smirk. If he had been drunk earlier, he wasn’t anymore, but that didn’t stop him from smiling.

            “Just keeping up appearances, Bruce,” he offered. “If the tabloids are busy writing about me drunkenly hitting on Sophie von Kessel, then they can’t be filling up page after page on Dickie Bird’s exploits.”

            Jason was incredibly pleased with the shade of scarlet Dick’s face turned, the older boy shoving his hands tightly into this pockets.

            “Jason,” he hissed through his teeth, eyes still glued to the floor.

            “What, Dick?” Jason laughed, feeling no need to stay quite. “He already knows; you’re a fucking mess.”

            “Language,” Bruce chided automatically. His voice had lost its edge, shifting from fury to a more tired, resigned, irritation. “Jason, go to your room,” he added slowly, his eyes boring holes into the top of Dick’s head.

            “Hell no,” Jason replied, his eyes shining. “Not a chance in hell am I going to miss Golden Boy’s dressing down. Not after I saved his ass.” Dick’s head shot up, eyes turning on Jason.

            “Look, I had it under con– ”

            “Vickie Valle had been watching you two all night,” Bruce cut him off. “I’m fairly certain she caught you pulling the bottle of whiskey from behind the bar, and I know she watched you follow up the stair less about ten minutes after Barbra’s exit.” Every word from Bruce’s mouth, made Dick’s fall a little further. “Jason’s little scene tonight probably _did_ save Barbara’s name from being dragged through the tabloids.”

            “Told you,” Jason said with a long-suffering sigh. He did however shift his eyes back to the floor when Bruce came round to stare at him again. He did have _some_ self-preservation skills after all.

            “You were both behaving recklessly, stupid,” Bruce turned his attentions back to Dick. “You’re both grounded.”

            Jason only laughed again with a shrug of his shoulders. “Whatever,” he concluded, unimpressed with his punishment.

            “Bruce, I –” Dick tried to start, but the force of Bruce’s eyes bearing down on him dried the protest up in his throat.

            “I don’t know _what_ the two of you are doing,” he started slowly, his voice back to carefully measured steel.

            “I’m not – ” Jason started to protest before Bruce shook his head.

            “I'm not talking about you,” he shot back, his eyes never moving from Dick. Jason shut his mouth with a snap.

            “If the two of you are…” Bruce trailed off, clearly reaching the part in his lecture where he was most uncomfortable. “You need to be…” His unease was growing by the syllable. “Did you at least use…?” He trailed off, obviously not wanting to finish the question.

            “ _Christ_ , Bruce,” Dick whispered, his voice rough, his face contorting in obvious discomfort. Jason laughed so hard he doubled over.

            “I don’t think he got far enough to need a condom, Bruce,” Jason offered helpfully. Dick refused to make eye contact with either of them.

**Author's Note:**

> Thoughts? Feelings? Questions about the universe at large? Thanks for reading - appreciate the love!


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